


All Booked: A Bitty Story

by PitchLantern



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: AU, Angst, Broken Bones, Fluff, Healing, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Library, Swearing, puns
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-13 18:00:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17492600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PitchLantern/pseuds/PitchLantern
Summary: “So, Levine… got any plans for your weekend?”“Oh, you know me… I’m alwaysbookedByron.”---Audrey Levine, a young employee at the Ebott County Library, ends up taking an unwanted donation box back home with her. She gets more than she bargained for when she discovers that it's not just old books inside. Despite her severe lack of knowledge on Bittys, Audrey thinks she can handle living with an Edgy. After all, Audrey's a librarian: researching is her thing! She totally has things under control.(Spoilers: She certainly does not have things under control.)





	1. The Donation Box

_Just keep fuckin’_ **_running._ **

 

The ragged skeleton made his way across the unkempt lawn, trying to keep his haggard breaths in check. His leg was fucked up, he knew the drop had been risky, but it was either that or…

 

...Well, he could deal with the pain.

 

He stumbled forward, catching himself on a stick. Fuck, it wasn’t just his leg. As much as he didn’t want to think about it, there was more to it than that. He looked down for a second but quickly closed his eye sockets, breathing in deeply. Nah, if he saw how bad it was, he probably wouldn’t be able to move. And he _had_ to keep moving. He was all but out of magic. As it was, he could probably muster only one more shortcut.

 

The wind whipped through the grass nearly knocking over the bitty. He pulled at the sleeve of his t-shirt, feeling a chill run down his spine. The weather was gettin’ worse, no way in hell he’d be able to deal with a storm in his condition. Not with the shitty stock clothes they’d given him at the center.

 

He pulled at part of the stick, managing to break off a decent-sized twig. There, now he’d have something to lean on as he walked. It was more of a series of stumbles than anything, but the small skeleton managed to make his way to the edge of the grass line.

 

At the end of the driveway near the curb lay a cardboard box. It wasn’t much to look at, and it certainly wouldn’t hold up long if the sky finally decided to rain, but it’d at least keep the wind at bay. He could rest there. For a minute. Maybe a couple minutes. Plan his next step and be long gone before those fuckers even noticed he was _gone_.

 

The skeleton gave the driveway a cautious look over before hobbling to the box. Looked like the wind must have blown it over, old paperbacks and some well-worn magazines together in a haphazard pile. There was some junk in the box too: a rusty flashlight, a pack of playing cards, a gallon ziplock filled with bubble wrap, and… a neon-pink, leopard print scarf.

 

It’d be a lie to say the bitty wasn’t disgusted by the afront to fashion, but at that moment it was exactly what he needed. The skeleton pulled the bag of bubble wrap in front of him before collapsing onto the abhorrent fabric.

 

Just a quick nap. A few minutes tops. Then he’d think of… something...

 

\-----

 

“You almost done in there Levine? We were supposed to be gone _half an hour ago_.”

 

The young woman hummed as she typed, the keys at the help desk creating an echoing clacking. The Ebott County Library. Well worn and used, but the old building had a certain charm to it.

 

The help desk was tucked behind the new books section and Audrey Levine stood out, mostly due to the fact that her desk lamp was the only visible light in the area.

 

It had been a drab sort of day, and the weather had progressed downhill since noon. The melodic sound of rain, however, seemed to join her typing in a surprisingly harmonious way. Thursdays were usually hectic given that the Ebbot County Library was closed on Fridays. Students cramming for tests, data analysts finishing off their projects before the weekend, it was always such a hassle getting the last few stragglers out. Despite it being a public service, Audrey felt it very much akin to retail—someone _always_ managed to walk in five minutes before closing and throw everything off kilter.

 

With the last log entered, Audrey let out a relieved sigh before logging out and turning off the computer. Her weekend had officially started and she was excited to curl up on her couch and get back to reading _The Fall of the House of Usher_.

 

She flicked off the lamp, slinging her bag over her shoulder before heading to the front. The brunette flopped onto the check-out counter, curly locks falling over her face. “When you asked if I was ready, I thought that meant **_you_ **  were done Byron.” The man in question working behind the desk groaned.

 

“Levine, I _would_ have been standing by the door had that… **_gentleman..._ ** known how to use a printer.”

 

Audrey snickered. “Who accidentally prints twenty-eight copies before realizing they used ‘ _they’re_ ’ instead of ‘ _their_ ’?”

 

“It is a wonder to me… but… I am almost done. You dropped your glasses again.” Byron held out the black frames that had fallen on the countertop. Audrey chuckled, leaning on the counter as she put them back on. She had a habit of losing them whenever she ‘flopped,’ which was probably more often than it should have been.

 

Audrey pulled out her phone, catching up on her missed texts. She very much needed an upgrade; her phone hardly lasted the day before dying despite the fact that she hardly used it. A quick scroll in the morning on social media, checking emails at lunch, and her phone was already hovering at fourteen percent. She’d have to charge the poor thing when she got home.

 

After a few minutes had passed, her companion finally stood, cracking his back as he did so. He retrieved a rather unimpressive black shoulder bag from beneath the desk.

 

“So, Levine… got any plans for your weekend?”

 

“Oh, you know me… I’m always **_booked_**   Byron.”

 

The groan from the older man made Audrey chuckle, standing to the side as Byron unlocked the library doors. “I swear Levine, you are the wors--what the hell?”

 

Audrey peeked around her companion to see what had caused the outcry. When he was on the clock, he never uttered anything close to a profanity, so the outburst had her curious.

 

At the man’s feet was a cardboard box. A most unextrodinary box that had suffered some water damage despite being propped against the library doors.

 

Byron let loose a frustrated sigh, nudging the box with his foot. “Of all the useless… why drop off a book donation in the rain. People are honestly such…”

 

The younger librarian leaned down to get a better look at the box while Byron went on another one of his tirades. She nudged the box, trying to get a feel for what was inside. It was taped shut, though the side facing out towards the street was damper due to the exposure to the rain. It felt like there were some books inside, but...

 

“I think there might be some nicknacks in here too Byron, it feels way too light to just be some used hardcovers.”

 

“Great. Superb.” Byron scoffed. “Not only did the inconsiderate ignoramus leave a box _after_ closing, but they left a box of **_junk_**.” He sighed, rubbing his temples. “I am _not_ taking it inside like that, Saturday’s crew can deal with it.”

 

With that, the older librarian set to work on locking the front doors. Audrey observed the box for a few moments before looking up at her companion. “I’ll take it… one of my neighbors is collecting items for a rummage sale next weekend. I’m sure she’d appreciate it.” Byron opened his umbrella, waiting just outside the lip of the library’s roof. He offered a shrug.

 

“Fine by me. Never anything good in those donation boxes anyway.” He waited as Audrey got a hold on the box before joining him. As they walked to the only two remaining cars in the lot, Audrey had to adjust her handle on the box.

 

 Byron blinked. “Is it heavy after all?”

 

“No,” she muttered, “just… something inside shifted. Must not be full…”

 

As they reached her car—a small blue hatchback—Audrey set box on her toes, fumbling with her keys before unlocking the vehicle. Byron quickly opened the passenger door, allowing Audrey to place the box on the floor. She gave a small salute as she made her way to the driver’s side, offering a ‘happy weekend.’ Byron gave a small wave before disappearing into his own car.

 

Audrey quickly hopped into her seat before the inside of her car got too wet. It wasn’t raining especially hard, but the quickly approaching evening made it seem worse than it was. She looked over at the box as she slung her bag into the passenger’s seat.

 

 _‘Well…’_ She thought to herself as the hum of the engine filled the cab. _‘It’ll be interesting to see what’s in there anyway…’_


	2. An Unexpected Guest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Audrey gets home and decides to see what's in the donation box. She is surprised to find an unexpected guest joining her for the evening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a delay, but the second chapter is here! I know the first was a bit shorter, so I hope you enjoy this longer addition!

**** Damn it. Fucking  **_idiot_ ** . The screaming pain in his leg was what he deserved for falling asleep. He was just supposed to rest his sockets, catch his breath, move on before the weather got worse.

 

Then the world turned sideways.

 

The owner of the discarded items must have come back for the apparently  _ not-so-abandoned _ box. He hadn’t even heard the asshole approach, all the little skeleton knew was that he went from a blissful release from reality to a rough backward tumble and the magazines being thrown on top of him. Not all of them it seemed, but he was thankful that he had had enough sense to pull the bag of bubble wrap in front of him before snoozing. He’d no doubt have been in a worse position had he not thought  _ that _ far ahead.

 

But it wasn’t enough.

 

As it was, the bitty found his body contorted in an awfully uncomfortable position. He was still in the hideous pink scarf, though now he was more entangled than wrapped. His legs were sticking up, the pressure of the additional items pressing down on him. Heh, after all he’d been through, he was going to get dusted by some asshole’s old  _ Sports Illustrated _ . 

 

A forced laugh escaped the bitty as he felt the box roughly thrown into--what he could only assume--was the back of a truck. He could feel himself fading in that suffocating darkness.

 

_ Ah fuck it, there was worse ways to go he supposed. At least he could say he made it out before the end... _

 

\-----

 

The drive home was, admittedly, rather uneventful. Once or twice, Audrey could have sworn she heard the contents of the box shifting as she made some of the sharper turns. The mystery donator must have left quite a bit of room inside for it to make  **_that_ ** kind of noise.

 

A small, rather ordinary looking house came into view. It’s navy trim helped the eggshell-colored home to stand out, though some of the other paintjobs on Audrey’s street were much more elaborate. The small front yard was guarded by a wrought-iron fence and even taller shrubs. Thankfully, the white fencing gave the feeling of an old English garden rather than anything imposing.

 

She pulled into the driveway, reaching up to hit a button on the clicker wedged into the hatchback’s vizor. The door to the single-car garage slowly creaked open and Audrey pulled the car inside. 

 

“Alright,” She muttered, “time to see what all the fuss was about you.” She looked down at the box, smiling to herself. It was a bit trickier getting inside the house with full arms, but Audrey was used to juggling groceries on her own. What was the point in making multiple trips from the car when one could simply load up like a pack mule and make one massive, precarious trip?

 

None, as far as Audrey was concerned.

 

With an unceremonious entrance, Audrey plopped the box on the tile floor. Straightening up caused her back to pop in several places and the young woman couldn’t help but groan. She tossed her bag onto the small dining table before making her way to the fridge. “Hmm… still have some leftover pizza from when Siera was over…” 

 

After muling it around for a moment, she grabbed the small pizza box and turned the oven on. She never liked the taste of pizza heated in the microwave. It always turned out simultaneously too limp and too stale. 

 

An urgent ding brought her attention to her phone. Crap, she’d forgotten to plug it in when she walked in. It dropped from four to three percent as she checked the time. “ACK!” Audrey scrambled to her bedroom, making it just in time before the poor thing died in her arms.

 

After a quick change into her comfier sweats, Audrey slowly made her way back into the kitchen. “Alright,” Audrey muttered. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

 

A quick heft of the box and she made her way to the couch in the living room. Well, calling it its own room was really exaggerating things a bit. The only thing that separated the kitchen from the main living area of the house was a prepping counter. All the same, she set the box down on the worn leather couch before taking a seat next to it. With some effort--and the help of her trusty scissors--Audrey pried open the cardboard flaps. Time to see what the mysterious donor had left.

 

The first few items had been a bit of a letdown: old magazines were a common donation to the library, but seldom were they ever useful, even at the seasonal sales. Definitely going in the  _ ‘donate-to-neighbor’ _ pile. Next was a bag of old bubble-wrap, but the stack of paperbacks caught her eye first. She pulled out half a dozen, flipping through the titles. They were old Harlequins and collections of H.P. Lovecraft. Odd combo, but she had seen people check out odder combinations at work. Come to think of it, ever since the monsters had returned to the surface there had been  _ quite _ a few more paranormal romance novels floating about...

 

Audrey set the small stack to the side with one hand as she reached inside with the other. She brushed past the bubblewrap, fingers finding something soft. She pulled at it, but felt something shift within. Her brows furrowed as she turned to the box. Maybe they had wrapped something fragile in the cloth? A vase or a statue maybe? It wasn’t completely out of the question.

 

She reached inside with both hands, carefully removing the… scarf? Audrey assumed it was a scarf, though the bright pink was a bit much in her opinion. Despite its bold coloration, it was pretty decent scarf; its soft, almost silky surface was surprising. She carefully pulled the fabric loose and found something had been wrapped in its folds.

 

But it wasn’t a vase.

 

At first it looked like an elaborate doll--she had seen such things in various online stores, though why anyone would make a tiny skeleton was beyond her. It was very intricate to say the least. Audrey tested the hand, lifting it slightly with her index finger: all the minute bones that went into the appendage looked pretty accurate. The head was a bit large for the body Audrey noted, shifting the tiny skeleton to get a better look. It seemed like someone had decided to give the thing sharp, almost shark-like teeth. One of them even appeared to be golden.

 

For all its intricacies, the clothing looked completely out of place: grey shorts, grey shirt, no shoes. Both items were dirty and torn and it seemed like the lower half had been dragged through the mud. How had it gotten so filthy? Did someone actually take a doll like this _ outside? _ Audrey gently lifted one of the legs, curious to see if the feet were as detailed as the hands. 

 

A sharp, clipped groan escaped the skeleton.

 

Audrey’s hands immediately shot back from the doll as if she had touched hot iron. It took everything in the young woman not to immediately stand up and push the scarf-- _ and by extension the skeleton _ \--off of her lap. 

 

The leg she had touched weakly pulled closer to its chest, the skeleton all but curling into a ball. Okay. That was  **_not_ ** something a doll did. Breathe, she had to  _ breathe _ if she was going to think calmly.

 

After a few agonizing minutes of watching, Audrey noticed that the not-doll was breathing. It was so slow, so shallow, but now that she was sitting still, she could see the slight rise and eventual fall of the grey shirt. Slowly, ever so slowly, she lowered her hands back down. They were close to the small figure, but the thought of it moving again had her wary. She swallowed, finding her mouth dry as she tried to speak,

 

“Umm… Hello?”

 

No response. Was it ignoring her? She waited a moment before carefully nudging it’s shoulder with her finger. “Are you… Ah… Alright?”

 

Still nothing. Weighing her options, she realized quickly that sooner or later she was going to have to pick the poor thing up. The way the skeleton had pulled its leg away seemed to confirm that something was definitely wrong.

 

Taking a deep breath to steal her nerves, Audrey scooped up the tiny figure. It was a careful, deliberate motion, though once in her hands the young librarian realized how truly small the thing was: if she had wanted to she could have easily hidden the skeleton in both her hands.

 

She rose from the couch with the same care as she had lifted the skeleton, making her way out of the living room and down the hall into the bathroom. The light was better in there and she could get a proper look at what was causing the skeleton such discomfort.

 

The bathroom was lined from floor to ceiling with pale pink tiles, the sink functioning as a small inset vanity. It looked like it was straight out of the seventies and had most certainly been original to the house.

 

With a quick (and calculated) pull, Audrey managed to drag the short bench out from under the sink with her foot. She shifted the prone form into one hand, grabbing a towel from one of the lower cabinets before placing it on the counter. The skeleton didn’t so much as twitch as she placed it on the white towel (though in hindsight it might have been because she handled it like a grenade with a loose pin). Satisfied that they weren’t going anywhere, she opened the mirror door, retrieving a well worn first-aid kit. 

 

Her scout days might have been long gone, but Audrey could never shake her preparedness. 

 

A cursory glance over the skeleton didn’t seem to produce any results; whatever was wrong with the leg in question was  _ underneath _ its shorts. Audrey bit her lower lip as thoughts rolled around:  _ Was it sentient? If it wore clothes, could it be bashful? Would it be embarrassed if it discovered she had removed them? _

 

She shook her head, taking a deep breath. This was silly: if this really was just a skeleton, what would it have to be self-conscious about? All that would be under the remnants of the shorts would be bones.

 

...right? 

 

Audrey opened the old kit, removing a small pair of scissors along with the thinnest bandage roll she could find. A minute passed before she realized she was stalling, mentally scolding herself before tugging at the article of clothing.

 

To her horror, it seemed the shorts were in a worse state than she originally thought: the one small tug had caused the seam to splay open like a zipper, leaving her fingers full of dirt-caked fabric. A blush that was felt rather than seen crept into her cheeks, causing Audrey to adjust her glasses.

 

Thankfully, the skeleton did not stir. And despite the momentary panic that had settled in, the cause of the leg’s distress was now blatantly apparent: there was a large crack in the skeleton’s… err… hip? Her mind reached back into her college physical ed class to try and remember the exact name… Il… Ilium? That sounded right. The crack glowed a dull red and Audrey couldn’t help but wince. No wonder the poor thing had flinched when she pulled its leg, it looked like a nasty break. Or rather, near-break. Despite its size, the crack didn’t seem to go all the way through.

 

It had taken almost fifteen minutes, but eventually Audrey was able to put those old scout-skills to use. A handful of q-tips had been sacrificed, but she had finally managed to make an acceptable splint to stabilize the hip. It left the upper part of said leg rather stiff, but she hoped it would pass until she could take the skeleton into a doctor. Certainly it wouldn’t do to take it to the vet…

 

She spent the next few minutes cleaning the skeleton as best she could with a damp washcloth. The shirt seemed to be in better condition, though it was just as filthy as the remains of the shorts. She managed to get it off without nearly as much incident, setting it aside to clean afterwards. The skeleton’s bones, for the most part, were just as weatherbeaten as the clothes; small nicks and scrapes caught the edges of the towel. 

 

Thoughts of the small figure stumbling around outside made the young woman frown. It had been out in the stormy weather that had struck her town, with a painfully fractured leg no less. It had to have some crazy tenacity to trek the way it did; hell, even  _ moving _ with such a leg had probably been torturous.

 

Before long she was finished, pulling a fresh handtowl from beneath the sink--this time a bright red--to dry and carefully wrap the small figure. Washing the shirt took no time at all and she laid it over the faucet handle to dry.

 

She picked up the red towel with the utmost care, making her way back to the kitchen. The oven--long since activated--brightly displayed that it had reached the desired temperature. Audrey turned it off and simply grabbed the pizza box. She didn’t have the energy to heat it up now and besides: cold pizza wasn’t the worst thing in the world.

 

With a slow plop Audrey sank into the couch, glancing down at the small red bundle.

 

_ What was she supposed to do  _ **_now_ ** _? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took longer than expected, but I finally updated this fic. It turned out to be a bit harder to pin down than I was expecting, so let me know your thoughts!
> 
> Thank you for the kuddos on my first fic, it's been very encouraging! :'D

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first FanFiction... like... ever...
> 
> Please let me know what you think so far! My plan is to update this every week, and I already have a good idea of where I want the story to go! It's proven to be a marvelous warm up and I want to keep going >83


End file.
